But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor.

Have I not wept for the unfortunate? ¹  Was not my soul grieved for the poor?

You have made your people experience hard times; ¹  you have made us drink intoxicating wine. ² 

When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; ¹  he drives her away ²  with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. ³ 

“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us ¹  as if we were ²  spying on the land.

David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men

The king responded to the people harshly. He ¹  rejected the advice of the older men

I did this ¹  because I know how stubborn you are. Your neck muscles are like iron and your forehead like bronze. ² 

They made their lives bitter ¹  by ²  hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service ³  in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous. ⁴ 

¹ Moses told this ²  to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him ³  because of their discouragement ⁴  and hard labor.

They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring ¹  to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.

Then the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people. ¹  Look ²  what a stiff-necked people they are! ³ 

Go up ¹  to a land flowing with milk and honey. But ²  I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you ³  on the way.”

Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn ¹  people!

Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn ¹  lot!

When a leader died, the next generation ¹  would again ²  act more wickedly than the previous one. ³  They would follow after other gods, worshiping them ⁴  and bowing down to them. They did not give up ⁵  their practices or their stubborn ways.

Israel’s power continued to overwhelm ¹  King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with ²  him. ³ 

But Hannah replied, “That’s not the way it is, ¹  my lord! I am under a great deal of stress. ²  I have drunk neither wine nor beer. Rather, I have poured out my soul to ³  the Lord.

The man’s name was Nabal, ¹  and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise ²  and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.